ʻEwa Development Plan
The ʻEwa Development Plan (EDP) is currently undergoing a comprehensive update. The effort kicked off in fall 2025 and the public review draft will be available in 2029. The update will reassess the Plan’s regional vision, policies, and implementation strategies to ensure they remain appropriate for current conditions, align with the City’s Oʻahu General Plan, and emerging development trends. The process will include extensive outreach and public engagement efforts with agencies, organizations, residents, and other stakeholders, to ensure the plan reflects the needs and aspirations of ʻEwa’s diverse communities. For more information, please visit the project website: https://ewadevelopmentplan.com/. You can also submit your questions or comments via email to ewadp@honolulu.gov.
The ʻEwa region encompasses the communities of ʻEwa Beach, Kapolei, and Makakilo with boundaries extending from Kunia Road to Kahe Point and mauka towards Kaloʻi Gulch. The ʻEwa Development Plan supports both the ʻEwa region and the island by relieving housing pressures through developing master planned communities, concentrating a wide range of commercial, higher-education, industrial, and resort jobs in the Secondary Urban Center, and protecting prime agricultural lands for diversified agriculture. The amended ʻEwa Development Plan was adopted in 2020.
Vision through 2035:
- Protect agricultural lands and open space
- Develop the secondary urban center
- Build master planned residential communities that support walking, biking, and transit use
- Provide natural, historic, and cultural resources
- Provide adequate infrastructure to meet the needs of new and existing development
Design and Neighborhood Plans in ʻEwa
Public Infrastructure Map
The Public Infrastructure Map (PIM) identifies major public infrastructure projects within each of the development plan areas for the City and County of Honolulu as required under Section 4-8 of the Revised Ordinance of Honolulu (ROH). The PIM symbol shows the general location of a major public infrastructure project in a planning region, and is required prior to the appropriation of funds for land acquisition or construction. For more information, visit the PIM page.
- View the current ʻEwa PIM.
- View the Supplemental ʻEwa PIM showing the updated PIM symbols for the rail line.
Special Area Plans
Special Area Plans give communities the opportunity to define the identity, function, organization, and character of their specific neighborhoods in accordance with the general planning framework provided by their area’s Development Plan or Sustainable Communities Plan. For more information, visit the Special Area Plans page.
Special Design Districts
Certain areas are designated as special districts for the purpose of restoration, preservation, redevelopment or rejuvenation. Guidelines regarding development protect and/or enhance the physical and visual aspects of an area for the benefit of the community as a whole.
No Special Design Districts in ʻEwa.
Transit-Oriented Development Neighborhood Plans
Transit-oriented development (TOD) is a pattern of different uses—housing, jobs, and services—surrounding a transit station that takes advantage of the convenience and affordability of transit. TOD neighborhoods will generally be about a five to 10-minute walk from a transit stop, which is considered to be a comfortable distance for pedestrians. The City’s neighborhood TOD plans recommend more intense uses immediately adjacent to the stations, with progressively lower-density development spreading outward. Visit the TOD website for more information.
Urban Design Plans
An urban design plan is typically required as a condition of a zone change approval for larger areas of land (master planned communities, large scale developments, etc.). The urban design plan provides a basic framework for site planning, land use, circulation and infrastructure. For more information, visit the Urban Design Plans page.